Unity
by SpitfireUSN
Summary: A collection of prompted one-shots from all across Call of Duty. Rated for language and violence(it's bound to happen at some point...), rating also subject to change.
1. Deadly Chicken

**_Finally got a prompt for this one-shot collection. This one is AdmiralChirko's and the prompt is: Merrick accidentally takes LSD! This is going to be interesting… Considering I know what LSD does (had to take a class on drugs in ROTC), but considering Merrick seems like a hard-ass, I'm not quite sure how exactly it would affect him… Well, here goes nothing for a bit of comedy…_**

**_Thanks for Reading, Fly High Aim Higher_**

**_~Spitfire out_**

Everyone knew Merrick was a heavy drinker but this was a whole other level. He stumbled through the door of the rec room, wide eyed and breathing heavily, baring the door with his body.

"The deadly chicken! It's attacking!" he yelled, moving faster than anyone had ever seen him move before to bar the door with whatever he could get his hands on, including a pair of tennis shoes, a lamp, and a pencil.

"What the fuck…" Keegan said when he saw Merrick doubled over in the corner, jittery and eyes darting every which way.

"Hide! Or the deadly chicken will kill us all!" he shouted.

Keegan's chest seized up as he tried to contain a laugh but it got away from him, "What the fuck!" he repeated through his laugh.

Hesh threw a bewildered look towards Merrick but ignored his shouting and went back to the computer screen, only half listening.

There was a knock on the door and Merrick gave a small yell, scurrying to the back of the room and making himself as small as possible.

"The deadly chicken! It's coming!" He screamed in terror.

Kick rolled his eyes and unbarred the door, opening it to see Neptune, "What is going on?" he asked.

"Merrick," Kick said simply.

Neptune gave a knowing look, "Too much to drink again?"

"I'm honestly not sure," Keegan said, still staring at Merrick.

"No! Don't let it in, it'll kill us all and destroy the world!" Merrick shouted, somehow pressing himself further back into the corner.

"Uhh…"

"I don't know," Kick answered the unasked question.

**_Sorry it's so short guys; I really have no idea what I'm supposed to do here… Comedy isn't exactly my strong point so this is the best I can do with the 'Merrick on LSD' prompt… *shrug* it'll do…_**

**_Thanks for Reading, Fly High Aim Higher_**

**_~Spitfire out_**


	2. Down Under

**_Whew! Already got another prompt, this time from TheShadeOps who gave the prompt "The 141 are visiting Down Under"! Thanks for the prompt Shade! This is certainly going to be interesting! And thanks MasterDerp5885, I got the idea from a friend that likes to mess around like he's drunk a lot actually. _**

**_Thanks for Reading, Fly High Aim Higher_**

**_~Spitfire out_**

Rook took a deep breath as he stepped off the chopper, "Home sweet home," he commented, though they were nowhere near the civilization of the Australian's home town, or any civilization for that matter.

"Focus, Rook, this isn't a vacation," MacTavish said, surveying the area.

They were in the middle of a forest. In one direction the trees looked new and young, in another, they could hear a river, and the rest of the forest was occupied by large trees. On the ground was nothing but dead leaves, rocks, and dirt, but no broken tree limbs or sticks.

"First things first, we need to find fire wood," Ghost said, off loading his backpack on the ground next to him, "and shelter," he added, not even bothering to say water, assuming it was obvious.

The 141 was on a survival training mission in the land Down Under, they had to survive a month out here with what they had on their backs, which wasn't much: small knives, ropes, empty canteens, and flashlights took up the inventory of every backpack.

MacTavish nodded, "Rook, Roach, you two are on fire wood, Ghost and I will handle the shelter, the rest of you find water," he instructed.

Everyone gave their own way of acknowledgment; it was mostly nods and 'yes sir'.

Rook and Roach walked over to the smaller trees, an unspoken plan between them as Roach ran for one that was about the size of him and tackled it over. The others stopped what they were doing and looked to the two in curiosity.

Rook gave a guttural roar and shouted, "I'm the juggernaut bitch!" and took off running for a tree that was almost as big as he was.

As soon as he made contact with the tree it bent only a little before throwing him back and onto his back, laughing at his own failure along with everyone else around him. Roach got up, laughing and helped Rook to his feet and they pulled the tree down.

**_Yes, Shade, yes I did use that video as reference, but I did find that before you did your one-shot of it. Besides, it's all I could think of *shrug* Hope this satisfies, I'm actually impressed I managed to come up with it lol. Anyway, thanks again for the prompt!_**

**_Thanks for Reading, Fly High Aim Higher_**

**_~Spitfire out_**


	3. June 27th

**_Okay, this prompt comes from a friend offline whose nickname is Kat. The prompt is "Birthday". Be warned, this is not what you think it is, this may even require a tissue warning. There is slash, there is angst, and there is fluff. Consider yourself warned, enjoy! ^_^_**

**_Thanks for Reading, Fly High Aim Higher_**

**_~Spitfire out_**

Archer was never the same as he was two years ago, before Sheppard betrayed them, before Shadow Company killed his partner. Now, it was a rarity for the sniper to even speak. He used to smile, laugh even. Now, his face is devoid of emotion.

He only got worse during the week of June twenty-seventh, his birthday. It was also the day that Christian "Toad" Williams was killed in action.

Toad was the only person to ever learn how to read the stoic man's face. Now that he was gone, there was nothing to read, his face was just blank.

Archer's new partner, a Japanese marksman named Jake "Domino" Mao, worried for his superior, not knowing about Christian or what had happened, only that Ian Richards was a broken man. Sure he had heard stories from the others about when Archer used to smile, mentions of the snipers former partner would come up as being what made him smile; it was obvious they were close.

Archer was supposed to be training him to shoot better. Neither man spoke during practice it was no oddity for Archer, but for Domino, it was strange and uncharted territory. He stayed silent more out of respect and worry than anything. Archer would silently fix his position or signal and demonstrate, but never speak.

Domino had never heard the Brit's voice, let alone seen the man smile. He'd even been warned by everyone on base to stay out of the sniper's room after he'd been assigned an empty room.

The week of June twenty-seventh, no one saw Archer and no sound came from his room. This worried Domino to the point to throw caution to the wind and enter the once shared room.

Inside he found Archer drinking and crying silently.

"Archer?" Domino tried hesitantly.

The sniper snapped his head towards the intruder, wide-eyed like a deer in headlights. He sighed and turned away shamefully.

"Out," he said simply.

It was the first word Jake had heard from him, so he gathered up his courage and responded, "Not until you tell me what's wrong."

Archer scoffed, "What'd' you care?" he slurred in his drunken state.

"Because, we're partners," Jake said firmly.

Archer tensed and threw a glare at the younger man, "Partners?" he scoffed, "You don't know the first damn thing."

"Then tell me."

Archer sighed, "You wouldn't understand."

"I might, if you just talk to me."

"You wanna know the story?" Archer asked harshly, "Why?"

"I want to help."

Archer scoffed again, "Help me? You can't help me."

"We won't know if you don't let me try," Domino pleaded.

"No," Archer said firmly, shouldering past and leaving.

Domino hesitated but followed Archer hoping that he wouldn't be caught. He followed Archer to the Task Force's grave yard. In a lot of cases there wasn't anything left to burry, but the headstones were there regardless. One was more distant from the others and sat under a tree and the grass hadn't quite over grown the turned dirt, suggesting that the body had been recovered.

Archer made his way slowly towards the lone grave, his step faltering slightly as he shook. He paused mid-step to take a deep breath and try to calm himself at least a little then finished the step and went up to the grave.

Tears rimmed his eyes and he dropped to his knees sobbing.

"I'm sorry, Chris, I told you I'd keep you safe," he cried, his words nearly inaudible, "It should've been me…" he near whispered.

He repeated the same four words several times before reaching weakly into his pocket, pulling out a fifty caliber bullet, "I'm sorry, Chris…" he set the round neatly on the ground in front of the head stone then reached for his hip.

That's when Domino noticed it, a silver stocked USP .45. Archer lifted the pistol from its holster.

"I love you," he said quietly, bringing the muzzle of the weapon up and leveling it with his heart.

Domino Charged as Archer put the weapon to his chest, over his heart, and smacked into the sniper as a resounding bang echoed through the damp air.

The two lay on the ground motionless. One was crying silently and the other bleeding from a chest wound.

"Chris…" the moan was almost inaudible, "I'm sorry, Chris… It should've been me…" Archer cried, not moving from under Domino's still form.

There was a small groan and both men sat up. The wound marring Domino's chest wasn't bad, only a graze but enough to hurt.

He looked over to see Archer on his hands and knees, still crying.

"You wanna know the damn story?" Archer asked with a shaky voice, "Two years ago. Two fucking years ago today, June twenty-seventh. Christian Williams… We were making one last push to find Makarov and we were betrayed… They fuckin' killed him!" Archer shouted, "Chris and I… w-we were closer than close… We were together… and they fucking shot him… the bullet just nicked his heart, it was only a matter of time… He bled out in my arms, listening to me telling him that he'd be okay… I had to watch him die so slowly, so painfully… And his last words to me… h-he said 'happy birthday, mate, I love you…'" Archer choked on his words, breaking down and letting the tears fall again.

Jake had heard from the others that no one other than Chris had ever seen Archer cry, so he did the most sensible thing he could think of and wrapped his arms around the sniper, holding him close in attempt to comfort him, though nothing ever would.

When Archer finally got himself under control, Jake let go and the sniper stood shakily then knelt in front of the headstone, brushing dead leaves from the top with a heavy sigh.

Jake, knowing there was nothing to be said or done, left quietly. Archer stood and caught up with Jake who turned to face the approaching marksman. Archer paused then weakly threw his arms around Jake's neck, burying his face in the Jap's shoulder. Mao knew Archer needed somebody, after what happened to him, there was nothing left for the man to live for.

Archer released him and stepped back, "Thanks, but… I just can't live like this," he said quietly, walking back to the grave and picking up the pistol.

He knelt in front of the stone again, placing head and hand against it, "I'm sorry, Chris… But… I know you want me to fight, I know you don't blame me," Archer choked and cried for a few moments before continuing through the tears, "I know you aren't coming back… And I would give anything to have you back… I'm sorry Chris, but I can't fight anymore… not like this," he said, leveling the pistol barrel with his temple.

_One shot left… Make it count… _The bang echoed through the base.

…

…

…

…

Archer woke up with a gasp, panting and sweating. He looked around to see that he was in his room and it was dark, but there was something else… He was in someone's arms.

"C-Chris?" he asked, shakily, nearly crying when he was met with seconds of silence.

"Hmm?" the tired reply cut through the dark and relief washed over Archer more like a tumbling brick wall than a wave.

Archer threw himself around Toad, hugging him tightly, on the verge of crying, "Chris, I love you," he said happily.

Toad chuckled, "I love you too, but what's gotten into you?" he asked.

Archer hesitated, "… Bad dream…" he said simply.

"You want to talk about it?" Chris asked worriedly.

Archer simply shook his head, not wanting to remember it, "Let's just… go back to sleep…"

**_Well? How's a happy ending for drying those tears hmm? Tell me what you think and please leave a prompt! Thanks Kat for giving me this prompt, had fun writing it!_**

**_Thanks for Reading, Fly High Aim Higher_**

**_~Spitfire out_**


	4. LOYALTY

**_Okay, first things first, I haven't gotten a prompt, I've prompted myself, this is gonna be a series type of thing though, it's the friendship list, gonna prompt myself Loyalty, Honesty, Kindness, Generosity, and Laughter (in that order), unless I get a prompt, then I'll do that before continuing this. Next order of business, reviewer shout-outs (yes that last chapter was my first attempt at something that was supposed to make you cry), and thanks go to TheShadeOps and LovingyouEverySecond! You guys rock! Now, here goes the Loyalty prompt…. This involves moderate amounts of torture… _**

**_Thanks for Reading, Fly High Aim Higher_**

**_~Spitfire out_**

Archer coughed as the gas seeped through his half mask. He pulled the bit of cloth down, hoping to get a breath of air to his lungs. They screamed for air, he couldn't breathe past the gas. Archer saw Toad trying to get up as well, stumbling towards Archer who was on his feet, barely. Toad fell to his knees and kept coughing.

They had been scouting a base and were ordered to go in and retrieve some intel and upon entering a small, windowless room, a sense of doom fell on Archer as the door shut behind them and was locked from the outside, poison gas spilling in through the vents.

Archer felt like he was trying to cough up a lung as his body tried to dispel the toxin. Archer kept himself upright using the wall for support; he hoped the enemy would think he and Toad were out by now and open the door, airing the room out. But the door never opened and Archer collapsed near Toad's still form.

…

…

…

When Archer woke he was tied to a chair, his chin resting on his chest. He stayed completely still, lest his captors notice he was awake. His head was throbbing and his lungs burned, he couldn't stop the cough as his body tried to clear itself of whatever toxins it wasn't too late to get rid of. He heard Toad groan next to him and couldn't help looking over to see if he was okay. It looked like Toad had been awake for a while, his face was bruised and swollen, Archer even had a few cuts on his arms, but nothing serious.

Archer lifted his head, only to regret it at the instant light-headedness.

He felt a hand grab his head by his hair and yank his head upwards, forcing him to look into the ugly face of one of the enemy soldiers.

"Босс! Он проснулся!" he yelled out in Russian. (Boss! He's awake!)

"Хорошо … Хорошо …" A voice said, but Archer couldn't see who it was, he didn't know Russian either, Toad did, but not him. (Good… Good…)

A figure stepped into the dim light as Archer's hair was released. In front of him stood a Russian man wearing a grey suit and dark sunglasses, sporting a crooked smile and grey hair. Archer assumed he was around forty years old.

Archer struggled against his restraints, testing them. Handcuffs… These people weren't stupid or cheap… The man that stood in front of him chuckled at his 'attempt'.

"I know who you are, Ian Richards," he said threateningly in very thickly accented English, "But what I do not know… Is what the _fuck _youwere_ doing_ on _MY BASE_!" he shouted, getting in Archer's face.

Archer just held the man's gaze, remaining tightlipped. Archer had met several snipers, one even better than him, that were mute, and he hoped that now, this Russian commander would think he was too.

This earned him a sharp punch to the jaw, swinging his head to the side where he could see Toad watching, fear dancing in his eyes.

"You can't fool me Brit! I know you can speak, so get singing little bird!" the Russian said, enforcing his statement with a pistol over Archer's heart.

_'Well shit… that didn't work…' _Archer thought to himself, he smirked at his captor, "If you think you're gonna scare me into talking, you're dead wrong," Archer said, his voice rough from coughing.

The commander readied the pistol, threatening Archer further. Toad wanted to shout, to scream for Archer to stop fucking around and just tell him, but he knew that would do more harm than good, so he kept quiet.

Archer scoffed, "Go ahead, you kill me you lose the information, he doesn't know anything," he said, jerking his head towards Toad, "You want information that only _I _can give you, you won't kill me," Archer said with a sure smirk.

The large Russian growled in frustration and put the barrel of the pistol to Archer's knee, pulling the trigger. Archer cringed and grunted in pain, but he wouldn't give them the satisfaction of him shouting in pain. He took several deep breaths, trying to wash the pain from his mind, banish it to the deepest part of his consciousness. Unfortunately, it wasn't possible when 'Boss' decided to dig his foot into the fresh wound, the pressure making it hurt, digging the bullet further into muscle and bone.

"I'll ask again: Why, the hell, are you here?!" Boss yelled again, punching Archer in the chest for emphasis.

The air was driven from Archer's lungs with the hit and he gasped and coughed, trying to regain his senses and breathe.

Neither sniper answered him. Boss growled in frustration and picked up the pistol again, this time aiming at Toad's head.

"If he doesn't know anything then he's useless to me, killing him won't affect me… You on the other hand… maybe you would talk? To save the life of your teammate?" Boss threatened.

Toad looked mortified and Archer kept the emotion hidden from his features, though in the inside he was panicking. '_What if the 'indifference' didn't work and he kills Chris anyway?!' _Archer thought, watching Boss intently, watching for the slightest indication that he would actually do it. Even if Archer wasn't as close to Toad as he was, he would still be devastated by the loss, Christian was not only his best friend and theoretical brother, but the only reason he was allowed to continue sniping; Shepherd wouldn't allow Archer out alone on the account that Archer was color blind.

Archer was snapped out of his thoughts by a bang as white hot pain ripped through his right side. He chanced a look down at his torso to see a red stain spreading over the forest green t-shirt he wore over the right side of his abdomen. Archer could hear himself groaning in pain, barely biting back the shout that was trying to tear itself from his throat.

Toad looked at him with desperation written all over his face, Archer was in pain… Maybe he could stop it if he just told the man what he wanted to know… Where was the harm in telling him that they had been scouting the base and had been caught trying to gather intel? No, he couldn't just tell them, then his and Archer's 'use' would just run out and they'd both be killed. But Archer was in pain, and he desperately wanted a way to make it stop.

This went on for weeks on end. Archer never once screamed out. This seemed to serve only to piss the boss off even more. Toad had shouted several times at the boss for them to leave Archer alone, but Archer always had something philosophical to say to bring the attention right back to him. He was keeping Toad safe, he had to. Toad wondered how Archer could take all that pain and still stay quiet. He didn't care how _'stoic' _Archer was, nobody should be able to take all that and not scream or anything.

He'd caught a few guards talking amongst themselves, they were scared of Archer. Wondered why he didn't scream when 'all the others did'. Suddenly, Toad wished he'd never learned Russian, he was afraid of what they might do to try to get a scream out of Archer. Toad found himself hoping that they wouldn't try to blindfold Archer, it was probably the only way to get the stoic man unnerved and shouting. Archer had a thing about his eyes, if he couldn't see, he panicked; it was his worst fear. The more Toad thought about it, the more unlikely it seemed. What reason did they have to blindfold him?

Toad's heart sunk as Boss came back from his 'break'; it hadn't even been five minutes! Archer was still recovering from his last beating. Archer couldn't take much more in this state. When Boss came over to Toad, he was somewhat relieved, but that sensation was quickly replaced by fear. Archer opened his mouth to say something but Toad silenced him with a look; there was no way Toad was going to let Archer take this one.

"Alright, American, you're his friend, what is the little bird's worst fear? Hmm?" Boss asked, bending down to eye-level with Toad.

_'Shit, shit, shit!' _Toad thought in his mind, he looked over to Archer who was watching curiously, slightly tensed. If Toad hadn't been close to Archer and hadn't been working with him for years, he wouldn't have noticed the way Archer was nervous right now.

Toad felt a hard punch across his jaw, "Look at me when I am talking to you, American!" Boss shouted.

Toad looked at Boss but didn't say a word. He couldn't let them know about Archer's only fear. He had to stay loyal, no matter what. Maybe that was what Archer was thinking when he took those beatings for Toad.

"Don't feel like talking hmm?" Boss questioned, "Well, maybe I can change your mind," he said calmly, holding up a syringe filled with a clear liquid and walking towards Archer, pressing the tip of the needle to Archer's neck but not letting it pierce his skin just yet, "This poison was made specifically to be painful. I can make the pain stop, but only if you tell me what this little birdie is afraid of," he said, pressing the needle into Archer's neck and letting the poison seep into his blood.

Archer's face contorted in pain as the poison took effect. He bit his lip to keep quiet, eventually, Archer tasted copper and realized that maybe he'd bitten his lip a little too hard. He used that knowledge and slight pain to distract him from the pain the poison was causing. Archer looked over at Toad, who had fear filled eyes. Toad hated seeing him in pain. He had to do something; he had to do it for Toad.

"Not being able to see," Archer ground out, "I'm afraid of not being able to see."

Toad looked at Archer with disbelief as the Boss chuckled and injected Archer with something else. The pain slowly evaporated. Archer just looked at his feet and Toad sat there, staring at Archer in shock.

"A-Archer?" Toad asked worriedly when Boss left again.

"I had to… I know you hate seeing me in pain, mate. I also know that we've been together long enough that no matter how hard I try to hide it, you always know when I'm hurting," Archer said quietly.

Yep, that confirmed it: Archer was the most terrifying softie Toad had ever met.

"Archer… they're going to use that against you… you didn't need to tell them just 'cause I don't like seeing you hurt…" Toad said, he was honestly worried now, Archer should've known that.

Archer shrugged, wincing from the action, having been shot in the shoulder twice now, "I think I can take a blindfold…." He said surely, "I hope…" he added under his breath, so quiet Toad wasn't sure he heard him but was sure he wasn't supposed to.

Then Boss came back in holding a long strip of black cloth. He approached Archer, who avoided it by leaning his head back and to the side, struggling as Boss tried to tie it around his eyes.

Boss stepped back scowling, he motioned to some of the guards, "Держите его!" he yelled. (Hold him still!)

Two guards approached Archer, only to be kicked in the gut and knocked back. Archer kept a calm face, showing no emotion whatsoever even though he was petrified by the thought of being blindfolded. He needed his eyes, even if he was color blind, he needed to be able to see. The guards picked themselves up and tied Archer's ankles to the legs of the chair he was sat in, and then moved around back to hold his head in place. Boss finally managed to get the cloth around Archer's head, covering the sniper's eyes.

Archer froze, a grimace forming on his face as he tried to keep calm. He knew it was just a blindfold, that it could be taken off just as easily (or in this case easier) than it had been put on, so why did it still freak him out? He struggled fiercely losing his cool and shouting once or twice and probably dislocating a shoulder in the process.

Archer didn't stop struggling when he heard an explosion and gunfire or when he felt two hands on his shoulders, he slammed his head forward and into the skull of whoever it was in front of him, he heard a familiar grunt and a low thud.

"Hey, hey, calm down, it's okay, Arch," A calm voice said as the cloth loosened and fell away, "There, that better?" Jayhawk asked, placing a careful hand on Archer's arm.

Archer was still tense and breathing heavily, still running off the rush. He nodded slightly, not trusting his voice as his restraints fell away. He saw Toad sitting on the ground in front of him, rubbing his forehead slightly, and sending a half menacing glare Archer's way, only to be replaced by a goofy grin and chuckle as Toad stood.

"Sorry, mate," Archer said simply, "panicked…"

Toad chuckled, "Don't worry 'bout it man, I'm good to go."

Archer tried to stand but was stopped by Jayhawk, "No, you need to sit, I need to check you over first," he said, looking at his various bleeding injuries.

His chest was a mess of large purple bruises, cuts, a bullet hole or two, and sunken in spots where ribs were definitely broken. Archer's arms were covered in cuts and his right arm was broken while his left had been dislocated by his struggling. Both knees were broken, one by a metal pipe and the other because of a bullet. Jay was also pretty sure Archer had a nasty concussion.

"Yeah, there's no way you're walking out…" Jay muttered, relocating his shoulder, "Oi, Roach, c'mere, need you to help me carry Archer out, there's no way in hell he can walk out," he explained, hauling Archer to his feet, putting Archer's broken arm carefully around his shoulders.

Roach quickly took up the other side, handing his weapon off to Toad as they made their way out.

Back at base Archer was kept in the infirmary where a couple of the guys came by to make sure he was okay.

"Hey," MacTavish greeted as he entered the room, "Toad tells me the only thing you said to them were insults and cocky statements. Gotta wonder how the bloody hell you took all of this," he said, gesturing to Archer's injuries, "and not even give them your name."

"Well, they somehow already knew my name, but even if they hadn't I'd have played mute," Archer commented, "Guess I'm used to the intimidation tactic, I knew they'd keep me alive, they wanted the information, they wouldn't kill me unless I gave it to them so I kept quiet."

MacTavish nodded in understanding, "Wasn't that the first time you were captured?" he questioned.

"Yeah, it was… I got used to the intimidation tactic in primary… I was that one scrawny nerdy kid back then… you can imagine how _that _played out…" Archer explained.

It wasn't a total lie, the kids at school did try to intimidate him, they usually followed through with it, much like his dad did… After meeting Toad by some prank and impressing the bloody jock, Archer found himself spending more and more time with him, more as an escape from all the people that found it fun to hit him.

He shook the thoughts off, lest MacTavish catch on, "Other than that, all I can say is I'm loyal. It's the most important trait. You wouldn't trust someone you're not loyal to, you wouldn't be honest to someone you're not loyal to, and you sure as hell wouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger on someone you're not loyal to," he said simply.


	5. Zero to Sixty

**_Okay, got a prompt from Mistress of Kickassery. And the prompt is: "You can never come back from this". I've got a few ideas, she also wanted it from MW2, so to keep it from being Archer and Toad I'm using an OC that I'm going to be introducing in Stoic Chapter Three or Four, not sure… This is basically his debut appearance and a good little back story that I may or may not put into Stoic. The OC is an Irish sniper named Alexander "Flash" McKay, and you'll see how he got that name when you read. Thanks for the reviews TheShadeOps, LovingyouEverySecond, and PrettyPrincess45 (sorry, I don't play Black Ops 1 or 2, there's no way I could really do that one… but I would if I could, sorry about that…) _**

**_Thanks for Reading, Fly High Aim Higher_**

**_~Spitfire out_**

"Hey, Alex?" Roach asked cautiously, knowing that the Irishman was a little 'touchy' about the subject.

Flash hummed tiredly in response shifting a little, "Yeah?"

"How did it happen? How'd you get hurt bad enough to… well, you know…" he asked quietly, sitting up, "You don't have to tell me, if you don't want to…"

Alex sighed and sat up as well, "I trust you, Roach, I don't mind telling you… It's a bit of a long story though…" he shrugged.

"That's okay…" Roach said, looking over at the youngest sniper, "As long as you're willing to talk, I'm willing to listen," he added.

Alex gave a small smile and took a breath, "I was on a mission in Rio when it happened. It was supposed to be standard procedure, set up and watch, map out the security, pick my shots carefully, then take out the target and get the fuck out of there," he said simply, looking at his feet as he set them gingerly on the floor, "Only… I couldn't get out. After I took my target down shit went downhill and hit the fan."

"What'd you do?" Roach asked curiously.

"I did what I do best… I ran. When I was a kid it used to be my favorite pass time, so because of my experience, I was fastest in my squad. They were always warning me about running in the wrong place at the wrong time… Always telling me to be wide…"

"Be wide?"

Alex smiled and gave a short laugh, "That's how we say 'be careful' back home…" he explained simply, Roach nodded and waited for him to continue, "Anyway, I had to run backwards, snipers don't really like to waste shots so I had to turn around so I could hit the guys that were on my ass. I ran out of roof top and didn't know until it was too late…"

Roach bit his lip and looked down at the floor, remembering the mission in Rio that he had only just returned from. He imagined what would've happened if he hadn't known they'd been running out of rooftop.

Alex shook his head, closing his eyes, "I should've died but my squad wouldn't let it happen, they saw everything from the chopper. I remember one of 'em telling me it was like time had just stopped when I hit that iron fencing. It went straight through me and punched through my spine to do it… I should've been dead, should've bled out then and there…" he muttered.

"Wait so… you were…" Roach stopped, his breath catching in his throat.

"Impaled… yeah…" Flash supplied with a sigh, "I remember waking up in medical afterwards, not able to feel the pressure on my legs, but the weight was still there… It was awful… the doctors telling me I could never come back from it… I couldn't believe it, I was in shock for a while afterwards…" he said quietly, sliding his shirt off as he felt his skin heating up at the memory, he touched the back of his neck lightly, feeling the cool metal brush his fingertips, "My only chance at ever walking again and it only worked because I was broken… thrown away like some old, useless toy…"

Roach straightened up at that and looked over at the Irishman that was looking wistfully at his legs, the dark metal braces on the sides of them standing out against the light skin in the dark room, "You… you don't really think of yourself like that… do you?" he asked disbelievingly.

Alex looked up at him but didn't say anything. Eventually, he just closed his eyes and shook his head slightly, looking back down at his knees, "Can't say that I do… Not anymore…"

Roach was silent as he simply stared at the sniper next to him, he could vaguely see the scarred tissue barely outlining the metal contraption that ran the length of his spine on his lower back, and a mirror image of the scar on Alex's stomach.

"I can't say those doctors were wrong either…" he said, subconsciously putting a light hand over the scar on his front, "You really _can't _ever come back from something like this… Even if I did get my legs back… I don't know… It just feels wrong sometimes…"

**_Okay… That just happened… Anyway, you guys will be meeting Alex for real as soon as I get off my lazy ass and get typing stoic, seriously, I've only got chapter 1 up and I'm on chapter 5 on paper! But that's it for this prompt! Don't forget if you've already prompted, feel free to submit another (no, I don't know what I'm going to do for the rest of the friendship prompts…). But anyway, this is set right after that mission to Rio where Roach fell if you didn't figure that out. Roach got lucky it looks like! Now, if you guys don't mind, MS Word is being mean and I'd like to try to fix it, so, I'm out, see you guys later and please, tell me what you think of this! Also, since I couldn't find a good way to explain the name 'Flash' in the story here you go: he went from paralyzed waist down to running a mile a minute (and sometimes faster) because of some top secret military program that's trying to make the world's first super soldier (sounds like some clichéd super hero movie, I know, but it's all I could come up with to explain the speed…)_**

**_Thanks for Reading, Fly High Aim Higher_**

**_~Spitfire out_**


	6. Honesty

**_Okay, I FINALLY figured out what to do here :D Be warned, I'm about to use two characters I've never worked with before: Keegan and Torch (Torch is from Ghosts but you only hear about him if you read the Rorke Files…). So, here goes nothin' for the 'Honesty' prompt, this is probably gonna be really short but oh well. Also, there's probably going to be some implied slash or Bromance type situations. (no reviewer shout-outs this time : ( … )_**

**_Thanks for Reading, Fly High Aim Higher_**

**_~Spitfire out_**

Keegan woke up with a gasp; then brought his knees into his chest, resting his forehead on them. It was always the same nightmare. He was always tied up and helpless as he watched Rorke brutalize his friends, his family, killing them slowly, and it was his fault. Torch was always the last to go, crying and reaching out for Keegan, screaming as Rorke put a bullet through the man's heart. It was always then that Keegan would wake up, terrified and sweating, tangled in the sheets.

"Keegan?" Greene's voice cut through the dark.

Keegan sighed; he usually didn't manage to wake Torch up.

"You okay man? You've been thrashing around for the past ten minutes," Torch asked, an undertone of worry in his usual joking tone.

"I'm fine," Keegan lied, "Just… go back to sleep…"

Keegan wasn't fine and he knew it. He'd been having these nightmares for a few months now, he was losing sleep and no one knew to question him on it because he was the team's medic, the others wouldn't notice until it got really bad. Not that it wasn't already bad.

He'd been captured by the Feds six months ago and had been stuck there for a few weeks before his friends found him. When they came Keegan had been beaten to a pulp, he was afraid of every movement he saw, they'd had to blindfold him to keep him calm so he wouldn't hurt himself. Of course, it had been Torch that had been able to get the cloth around Keegan's eyes, giving soft spoken encouragements, telling Keegan that he was okay, that no one was going to hurt him.

The nightmares started shortly after he'd been released from the infirmary. But ever since he'd gotten back to base it seemed like Torch had been watching him. It didn't seem the suspicious kind of watching, but the curious 'I'm worried about you' kind of watching.

Keegan heard the sound of sheets rustling and felt someone beside him, "Tell me the truth, Keegan. What were you dreaming?" Torch asked lightly.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Greene, I'm fine," Keegan lied, looking at him, though unable to see his friend's face through the dark, "Go back to sleep.

Keegan heard Torch sigh and Keegan shifted onto his side, his back to the man beside him. He felt the bed dip and was confused when he felt strong arms wrap around him, warm breath skimming over his neck.

"It's okay, Keegan, you don't have to tell me… but I'm not going back to sleep until you do."

If Keegan knew anything, it was that Chris "Torch" Greene was a persistent man. For him to just give up on finding out about his nightmares like this was an anomaly. But he seemed genuinely worried for his friend.

In truth, Keegan was afraid to go back to sleep, he was afraid of going back to that dark realm of his subconscious. And yet, he found himself waking up to the sunlight touching his eye lids, rousing him from the deep, dreamless sleep. Keegan wasn't sure when he had fallen asleep but he had at some point. He stayed still for a moment before realizing that he was still in Torch's arms. He didn't move, for fear of waking the heavy sleeper and felt his face heat up at the situation. Why was this so awkward all of a sudden, it was just a friend lending comfort to his troubled friend, so why did Keegan suddenly find the position so awkward yet comfortable.

He heard the tell tale signs of Torch waking up and felt the grip around the middle of his chest tighten, accompanied by a content sigh. That was it. Keegan knew how to read between the lines, Torch wasn't just making a friendly gesture, and Keegan would be damned if he said he didn't appreciate or enjoy it. Keegan smiled faintly and turned in Torch's arms to face the man. Torch grinned up at Keegan and Keegan returned the embrace that he was still held in.

"You feel like talking about it now?" Torch asked quietly.

Keegan bit his lip and nodded, proceeding to describe the nightmare to Torch, not leaving much of anything out. When he was done, Torch was speechless so he just hummed in response and nuzzled his face against Keegan's chest.

"It's okay, Keegan… I'm not gonna leave you…" Torch whispered.

Keegan nodded simply, preferring to remain quiet and enjoy the warmth of his newfound crush… If only that term didn't seem so… childish…

**_Eh? Not bad if I do say so myself. There's not much in the way of the honesty trait here but it was referenced, that's really the best I can do with this… Well, tell me what you think and leave a prompt (even if you've already given one feel free to leave another, I do so enjoy doing these prompts you people give me). _**


	7. Great Minds Think Alike

**_Okay, got a prompt from paramoron. The prompt is "Tears". Okay, you guys are going to love this one; the fluff is on overload here. Guys, you might want to keep something to punch that isn't a wall or a window nearby, you'll need it, girls… well, be prepared to explain girlish squealing to the family XD… Also, before you people yell at me for using Archer and Toad way too often, they are my OTP, I can't write good fluff without them. Thanks also to MyChemicalKilljoy (you're really gonna love this one ;)_**

**_Thanks for Reading, Fly High Aim Higher_**

**_~Spitfire out_**

Toad knew he was the more 'submissive' one in his and Archer's relationship, but Archer was too withdrawn to ask that question that they both wanted to be asked. They were nearing the two year mark for their relationship and now that Toad had recently been promoted and was the same rank as Archer, no one could do anything about them if they were found out. Only problem was that they were being sent out on a mission before he had a chance to talk to Archer.

When it was game time, Archer got serious, when he and Toad were alone, he let his walls down. He smiled and laughed, it was like he was a different person all together. Toad smiled faintly at the image that was burned into his brain of Archer smiling softly, soft blue eyes shining in moonlight, the light woodsy smell that was so Ian. To other people, Archer was stoic, never showed any emotion, to Toad, well, Toad could read Ian like a book and vice versa.

Toad had a spring in his step as he walked towards the chopper, his and Archer's shoulders brushing as they walked in sync, their rifles slung over their shoulders.

Toad heard Archer chuckle lightly, "What's got you in such a good mood?" he asked quietly as they took their seats.

"Oh nothin'," Toad said with a shrug, leaning against Archer, "Just in a good mood is all…"

Archer hummed suspiciously in response, "Right, and that's it? Just 'in a good mood'?"

"Yep," Toad said happily.

Archer chuckled at his partner and threw an arm over Toad's shoulder, "Well, it'll have to wait until we get back, love, this is a big one. We're scouting out one of Makarov's old hideouts. Sheppard thinks an arms dealer is stashing some serious firepower there," Archer said simply.

As if that wasn't cause for worry… As a sniper team they could only carry the essentials. Light weight vests, canteens, rations, sniper rifle, ammo, and a combat knife, no side arms, the rifles were heavy enough as it was, they couldn't have extra weight slowing them down. Every time they headed out Toad worried about what would happen if one of them didn't come back. Adding 'serious firepower' to the mix was like telling a five year old that going to the dentist only hurt a little… It only serves to make them want to go less…

A week later Toad and Archer were running for the LZ with a dozen militia on their heels.

"Captain MacTavish! We're coming in hot!" Archer called through his radio as the ran through the bushes, turning every so often to thin out the soldiers chasing them.

They barely made it to the LZ and when they finally did, Toad was on the verge of panic. They had nearly died, someone had told the arms dealer that they were there and they had been ambushed. They escaped from the fray with only minor injuries: bullet grazes, scrapes, bruises, the usual. But it was enough to warrant Doc to have to see to them.

Once they were taken care of and back in their room, Toad felt like he was going to burst. Even if they hadn't been seriously hurt, they had barely made it out. Toad made the mistake of letting a single tear escape. And Archer being… well… Archer… noticed.

"Christian? What's wrong love?" he asked softly.

Toad shook his head simply, "Just… thinking about what would've happened if you'd been in your zone and hadn't heard them coming…" he explained simply, "We would've been killed… One or both of us…"

Ian let his shoulders drop and embraced his American, "Hey, you know me, I'll always know before it's too late. My hearing hasn't failed me yet."

Chris smiled softly, "Yeah, you're right… I guess it's just… If we live long enough to retire from the Task Force, we'll be very, very lucky men. I mean…" Chris looked at the floor and reached in his back pocket, feeling the small box, _now or never _he thought simply, "I only know one thing that'll make me feel luckier… Ian…"

"Chris, don't you dare take a knee, you cheesy bastard…" Ian said with a knowing smile as he grabbed Chris' shoulders, "You don't even have to ask to know the answer, love," he added, kissing Chris lightly.

Christian smiled and kissed Ian back. This time, the tears weren't because he was scared of losing Ian; they were because he was just so damn happy. He was so absorbed into this thoughts, he never noticed Archer fishing the small box out of his own pocket.

"I guess great minds think alike, huh, love?" Ian asked softly, breaking the kiss.

"Ian!" Chris groaned, "You sneaky bastard!"

Ian laughed, "What? You don't honestly think I call you love because it sounds good do you?" he joked, wiping at his eyes as they watered.

Chris laughed at the fact; Ian would _never _be caught crying, especially over something sappy. Chris wiped his own tears away and kissed his Brit again.

**_BEWARE THE FLUFF! ^_^ Adorable huh? Now, excuse me while I go fall out of a tree so I don't feel girly anymore… Don't forget to tell me what you think in a review or PM and leave a prompt if you've got one. I have figured out what I'm going to do for the Kindness prompt so it'll be up not to long after this. See you guys then!_**

**_Thanks for Reading, Fly High Aim Higher_**

**_~Spitfire out_**


	8. Kindness

**_Thanks to paramoron and Xterminator for your reviews, I always love to hear from my readers! So here's the Kindness prompt. This one gets into the character of Jayhawk, he is in CoD MW2, but it's not guaranteed that you see him; I've only seen him once. Anyway, I typically use him as my field medic since Doc is the on base doctor and I may or may not get into his character later on. So, here we go, this will be fun!_**

**_Thanks for Reading, Fly High Aim Higher_**

**_~Spitfire out_**

"See you in an hour, Doc, I have sentry on the east gate," Jayhawk said with a slight wave as he left the infirmary where he spent a good bit of time helping with the wounded.

Jayhawk had his rifle slung over his shoulder and his hands in his pockets as he walked towards the eastern gate. It was getting cold and the dry yet humid air promised snow sometime soon. When Jay got to the gate he scanned the forest that concealed it for anything suspicious.

_'__Nothing interesting ever happens on sentry duty,' _Jay mused to himself, rubbing his hands together in attempt to warm them up.

He walked in circles for a bit, the only thing on his mind was not freezing to death before his shift was over. Then he spotted something between the trees. Some kind of orange glow. He decided to call it in and go check it out and once the Sergeant of the Guard had been told, he ran into the woods, intent on finding the source of the light.

As he got closer the acrid smell of smoke and fire burned his lungs and it quickly became apparent that he had just run head-long into a forest fire. The blaze spread almost instantly and Jay didn't have time to cover his nose and mouth from the smoke as he turned tail and ran, trying to escape the blaze that had already consumed him.

Then he heard something and stopped, looking up in the low branches of an oak tree. There was a bird's nest with a white dove that had its foot stuck between the sticks. Jay's eyes widened as he saw the fire getting so close to the trapped animal that was flapping helplessly.

Jayhawk climbed the tree and freed the bird, holding onto it and keeping it close to his chest as he ran. He was coughing harshly when his foot caught a rock and his ankle twisted backwards, probably breaking in the process. He had protected the bird from the fall and it was now flying away in the direction he had been carrying it, towards the base. Before Jay could get up and keep running a still burning tree fell over on his legs, making him cry out in pain. The burns he had on his hands, face, and chest were bad enough as it was, the burning tree on his legs certainly didn't help.

Smoke surrounded Jayhawk as he tried to breathe but he only ended up coughing spastically when all he got was a lungful of smoke. He was suffocating and could feel himself starting to pass out.

Back on base the east gate fire alarm had been sounded and Doc ran from the infirmary, remembering that his friend had been on sentry duty there and it had been well over two hours since he left for the job. It only spelled trouble.

Doc spotted a white dove whose feathers were coated in ash and soot and Doc remembered the stories Jayhawk would tell about white doves, he loved the creatures. On a whim Doc followed the bird to the east gate and saw people standing around, some with hoses, others with fire extinguishers, and others just gawking at the blaze.

"Where's Jay?" Doc asked when he arrived.

Roach looked at him and back at the forest, "He went in to check something out, couple minutes later this happened. He hasn't come out yet," he said lowly.

Doc saw the dove land on the fence, the feathered beast almost looked panicked as it cooed. While most people just stared at the bird dumbly before returning to the fire, Doc's face hardened and he ran into the blaze, making sure that his white lab type coat covered his arms from the fire and that his nose and mouth were covered by his cloth mask. He ran a mostly straight path, only straying from it when the dove would indicate a different direction.

By now the blaze was burning itself out this far in but it was still really hot. It was only a little bit further until he saw Jayhawk on the ground on his stomach, a burnt tree pinning his legs, burns and ash covering his face and arms.

"Jay!" Doc called, running over to the trapped medic and checking his vitals, "Come on, Jay, stay with me," he urged, he couldn't leave him now, and he couldn't get the tree off of his legs either, he'd have to wait until the others came looking, Jayhawk's radio had been broken even if it weren't already fried by the heat.

Doc looked around frantically for something that would help and then up as it started snowing, just his luck. Jay was on overheat because of the fire but if he was cooled down too fast by say, the snow, that could spell disaster. Doc slid his coat off and wrapped it around Jay.

The young medic coughed harshly as he came to, "Doc?" he rasped out upon noticing that the lab coat wrapped around him wasn't his.

Doc looked down at Jayhawk, "I'm here Jay, you're okay, just keep breathing."

Jay coughed again, "I can't," he wheezed, "my chest burns, Doc…"

Doc bit his lip and looked at the log that had trapped the young man, "Just do the best you can Jay, I'm gonna get you out of here," he assured, moving around to the log, he couldn't wait any longer for rescue, he'd have to do it himself.

Doc struggled to lift and move the log and on realizing it wasn't going to budge without more man power, he resorted to using Jay's combat knife to try to break it up into smaller, more movable pieces. Doc grunted with effort as he moved the piece that had him pinned and almost gasped at the sight of Jay's ankle pointing at an odd direction, he'd definitely tripped in his haste to get out and done a great job breaking his ankle in the process.

Now that Jay was free Doc just had to get him out of the forest. Doc slid his mask off; Jay needed it more than he did at this point, and secured it to the young man's face before carefully lifting Jayhawk onto his back. Doc ran back the way he had come and eventually burst out of the forest, the blaze now under control and a thin layer of snow starting to fall.

Doc took several deep breaths as he set Jayhawk down carefully, seeing the man grimace as his weight bore down on the burns on his back.

"Is he okay?"

Doc looked up at the speaker and then back down at his friend and gave a sigh, "I think he'll be fine…" he said quietly, "but I need to get him back ASAP."

Roach nodded and insisted he carry Jayhawk and for Doc to go ahead of him and get what he needed ready. When Roach got him there he lay the medic down carefully on a stretcher Doc had out and watched as Doc took over the situation from there.

Jay coughed roughly as he came to for the second time. This time feeling comfortably warm but with an oxygen mask covering his nose and mouth. He groaned lightly and ground his head into the pillow, only to find the simple movement painful as his burns pulled.

Jay sighed and started assessing the damage himself, some pretty bad burns that Doc had taken care of, smoke inhalation, hence the mask, and he could feel that his left foot was wrapped thickly and propped up slightly by a small pillow, ankle definitely broken. He breathed deeply to find that his chest was still burning and it hurt to take proper breaths so he stilled into shallow and steady breathing as not to hurt himself further. Then something hit him, the dove, what happened to it.

Before he could wonder anymore about the little white dove he had supposedly saved Doc walked in with the feathered creature perched happily on his index finger, for a wild white dove, it acted very tame, he thought. Doc smiled when he realized that Jay had woken up and helped him to sit up as the bird flapped over and sat on the younger's head, making Doc laugh.

Jay smiled and reached up to stroke his new friend.

"Y'know, some people like to ignore the cliché and say that white doves are symbols kindness," Doc said simply, "You saved its life and it saved yours by leading me right to you. Just one question though, why, the hell, would you nearly get yourself killed to save a bird?"

Jay looked at Doc as if he were crazy, "I wasn't just gonna let it die, goes against so many things that I stand for. That, and… when I was young, my mother had two white doves, she loved those things to death, she was so crushed when they died I don't think I ever saw her smile again. I felt like… If I had let it die, it'd be like letting mom die all over again…" he explained solemnly.

Doc smiled and nodded, that would explain the kid's adoration for them.

Jay suddenly froze, "Wait… Why'd you follow a bird?" he asked confusedly.

Doc chuckled, "That's like asking you why you ran into the fire like that. Call it a medic's intuition," he shrugged.

Jay nodded in agreement, he was just tired now. He got the white dove on his finger and brought it in front of his face as he stroked it, tickling under its wing.

Doc smiled and chuckled, it was like watching a child play with a small puppy, it was adorably funny.

Doc rolled his eyes and turned to leave, "Don't forget to actually rest, Jay, you need it," he said simply.

Jay nodded in response and let the bird explore his shoulder and climb around on his arm. He smiled at it and got to thinking about what Doc had said.

_Kindness huh? _He thought, staring at the bird, _Yeah… I can see that…_

**_Woo! The adorableness of Jayhawk playing with a white dove ^_^ But anyway, let me know what you think and leave a prompt if you have one, I now have to go figure out what to do for the Generosity prompt… Oh joy… Well, see you guys next time!_**

**_Thanks for Reading, Fly High Aim Higher_**

**_~Spitfire out_**


	9. Breaking Up

**_Okay, two prompts from TheShadeOps, the first one is "Breaking Up". You guys will find out what the other one is in the next chapter. And he's also allowed me to use his character "Shade"… Yeah… this is going to be interesting all right… Well, time to have some fun! Also, thanks to Xterminator and paramoron!_**

**_Thanks for Reading, Fly High Aim Higher_**

**_~Spitfire out_**

Shade sat on his bunk, meticulously cleaning his rifle for the upcoming mission. Roach was pacing up and down the hall between the armory and his room. The mission brief had everyone on edge.

An little-known terrorist organization that liked to call itself Zodiac was stirring up trouble, they usually stuck with the small shit, vandalism and theft but they were stepping it up a lot of notches, they'd made several bomb threats against a lot of the larger countries like the US, places in Australia, England, Russia, China, and several others, mostly sticking to the places the members of the 141 were from.

Shade turned back to his rifle, satisfied that it was clean and would do its job right, he slung it over his shoulder and headed to the armory for the rest of his gear.

Half an hour later they were almost to the drop zone when a random burst of static that came and went quickly. They were far from any cities or towns, it was no surprise that they heard static on the comms, it wasn't uncommon, and so they ignored it.

The heli landed and the team filed off and gathered around Captain MacTavish to go over the plan one last time.

"Alright, Archer, Toad, you two set up on that ridge," MacTavish said, pointing towards said ridge, "Rook, Shade, and Roach flank east, Ghost, Jayhawk, and I will flank west. We attack from the sides with sniper support. The heli will be on standby for air support if things get too heated, emergencies _only_. We're on radio silence after check in."

They gave their forms of acknowledgement before splitting up to take up positions.

"Alpha – One is in position, Alpha – Two and Three, what's your status?" MacTavish asked, taking a knee just outside of a chain link fence surrounding the area to be infiltrated.

"Alpha – Two, in position," Shade said, his voice muffled by static.

"Mic check Alpha – Two, you're breaking up. Alpha – Three, where are you?"

"Snipers in position," Archer finally responded quietly, "met a little resistance getting up here, it's taken care of," he explained shortly.

"Pick your shots carefully, Alpha – Three, it's dark. If you miss a shot…" MacTavish spoke carefully, "Well… I don't think you'd miss, which is exactly why I'd be worried if you did…"

"Copy that, sir," Archer replied, a smirk evident in his voice, "I've got you in my sights. Four sentries in the guard tower, five man patrol headed your way, stay out of sight, Toad and I'll take care of the sentries. Breach on my shot?" Archer asked for confirmation.

"Affirmative, breaching on your shot, take 'em out quick, there are only two of you and four of them," 'Tavish replied, "Once we're on the other side of that fence, we're on radio silence."

"Copy that," Shade and Archer replied at the same time.

Archer lined up his shot and waited. Toad did the same, both waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Archer took a breath and slowly exhaled as he adjusted slightly, a second target standing in line with one he was aiming at. Archer smirked and took the shot, downing both with a double head-shot as Toad had to take two to take his targets down. Archer and Toad shifted their sights over to the five man patrol that took no notice of the sentries falling.

"Tangos neutralized, no alert, you're clear to breach," Archer said, covering Shade's team as they breached the fence and flicking his radio off as the breaching charges blew.

The teams made quick work of the few patrols and guards that did happen to find them and the snipers on the ridge were doing a good job of making sure that number was kept to a minimum.

Shade went 'eyes first' around a corner, Rook covering the right while Roach watched their six. They moved silently through the halls, keeping their weapons ready. The enemy guards they came across never had a chance to react to their presence. Quickly the three man team made their way to the tech center of the building, where the enemy would process data and keep their plans. They searched the room, noting that the tech was a little 'advanced' for a group that usually liked to vandalize and steal. This looked like the equipment of a much larger, much more dangerous enemy.

Sade found a map tacked to the wall, red pins in each of the targeted areas and others that hadn't been mentioned in their threats. Curious, Shade looked at Australia, his heat sinking, breath catching in his throat as he saw his home town pinned.

"Rook!" he called, motioning for his teammate to come and look while Roach downloaded intel from a computer.

"Shit…" Rook muttered under his breath, facing the door as several voices were heard on the other side, "Shit," he curse, louder this time, "Shade, get a picture of the map, Roach, wrap it up, we've got company!" he said quickly as the door exploded, knocking him and Shade back a little, Roach was far enough away.

Shade flicked his radio back on, "Alpha – One, this is Alpha – Two, we've been compromised! We're going to have to shoot our way out of this one!" he yelled over the gunfire.

Roach took a bullet to the shoulder, unable to get his rifle up in time. Rook took a graze to his hip as he pulled his own rifle up to bear.

'Tavish stopped, trying to make out what he was hearing over the radio, "Alpha…. Two….. comp…. way out…." What? There was gunfire in the background, what was going on over there, "Alpha – Two, repeat your last, you're breaking up."

But Shade, Rook, and Roach never got the message. They weren't being shot at with bullets; the Zodiac wanted them alive…

**_Okay, sorry 'bout the cliffhanger guys, I'm kind of cheating here, but it'll work out, promise! This is the best way for me to set up what I want to do with the next chapter but in your minds, they don't have to be related. And just to be clear, I just came up with 'Zodiac' off of the top of my head, no idea where it came from…_**

**_Thanks for Reading, Fly High Aim Higher_**

**_~Spitfire out_**


	10. Desperate Measures

**_Alright, here's TSO's second prompt, "Desperate Measures". Again, this will be interesting. And just because I feel like it needs to be said: Shade is not mine! He's the awesome OC of TheShadeOps, and if you want to know more about him, go check out a couple of the stories, they're all awesome. And thanks to Xterminator for the review, I'll get on your prompts after this one. Okay, now that that's out of the way, on to 'Desperate Measures'._**

**_Thanks for Reading, Fly High Aim Higher_**

**_~Spitfire out_**

Archer shifted his sights over the building Shade's team had disappeared into, he thought he saw something. He'd learned through experience to always trust his eyes however wrong he thought he was. He cursed under his breath as he saw four enemy soldiers that looked to be the leaders standing in front of three soldiers that were tied down to wooden chairs, it was Shade's team, they'd been caught.

He nudged Toad next to him and gestured with his head towards the window he was aiming at. Toad adjusted his rifle and looked through the scope, having the same reaction as Archer. They looked at each other and came to a silent agreement on a plan of action. Several scouting missions in the middle of enemy territory demanded that they learn how to speak without moving or speaking, so they had; Toad was the only person who could read Archer because of it.

Shade groaned at his throbbing head as he woke up, fucking tranq guns… Now they were in the hands of the Zodiacs and four of their soldiers stood in front of them, each with a different symbol on the left shoulder plates. They mirrored each others' stances, arms crossed over the chest, left shoulder jutting out with their weight on their left foot. These four appeared to be the leaders. Shade would ask himself how the situation could get any worse but then it would, so he didn't dare venture there. He just stared silently at the four Zodiacs in front of him and his two teammates that were on either side of him.

"Why are you here?" The one to the far right asked, he had a 'v' shape on his shoulder, only the two ends curled out and around, almost making a circle, the symbol for Aries.

"Tell us, and we might consider letting you go," the one next to him spoke, he had half of the Aries symbol but the other half looked strange, it was Capricorn.

The other two had the symbols of Libra and Cancer.

"Like hell we're telling you anything," Shade replied calmly, staring evenly at all four of the Zodiacs.

"Very well then," 'Libra' spoke and looked somewhere behind the three men, "Sagittarius, Taurus, Scorpio, if you would?"

There was a dark chuckle from somewhere behind them. The sound made the 141 members stiffen. Three more Zodiacs stepped up beside them, each with the symbol marking their zodiac signs. Shade had the misfortune of having caught Taurus' attention, while Roach had Sagittarius, and Scorpio went after Rook.

Archer was about to make his shot when three others stepped into the view of the large window, he stopped and took his finger off the trigger, things just got a lot more complicated. The one with the Scorpio symbol on his shoulder had a whip coiled and attached to his belt, Sagittarius had a bow and quiver full of arrows on his back, Taurus was the odd one out, he didn't have a weapon, but he looked strong enough that he didn't need one.

Archer nudged Toad lightly, making his partner look over at him to read his face.

"Looks like we're up, Toad…" Archer said quietly, "Let's go."

Toad nodded in agreement and stood as they slung their rifles over their shoulders, heading swiftly down the ridge. They had to warn the captain but they couldn't break radio silence now, not now that they knew three of their members had been compromised.

"Sir!" Archer called in a harsh whisper, running up to the captain, "We've got a situation."

"Archer, what are you doing here, you and Toad are supposed to be on over-watch?" MacTavish questioned the sniper.

"Sir, Shade and his team have been compromised and captured, we have to get them out," Archer insisted.

MacTavish cursed under his breath at the situation, "Alright, you and Toad go scout them, see if you can come up with something. I'm breaking radio silence, we have to let Shepard know about this.

Archer nodded sharply and turned, motioning for Toad to follow him as he ran towards the building where Shade and the others were being held. When they got there the sight shocked them. Shade was being pummeled by Taurus, Sagittarius was using an arrow like a knife against Rook, and Scorpio had his whip around Roach's neck.

Archer looked over at Toad, who looked back at him, face full of concern and worry, "Desperate measures?" Archer suggested.

Toad looked back at the gruesome scene and back at Archer, his face hardened and he nodded in confirmation and switched his radio on, "Let's do it…" He said simply, he knew their comms were being monitored by the Zodiacs, he and Archer had a fall-back plan in place, "Lightning Three – One to Phantom, requesting close air support on target Delta – Mike," Toad said into his comm.

MacTavish heard it and knew the sound of the sniper's improvised plan, they'd brought it up in briefings as a fall back that they'd use if shit went downhill and hit the fan. He chuckled to himself, knowing it would get the 'Zodiacs' riled up and focused on the skies rather than their teammates.

Another Zodiac entered the room, the symbol on his shoulder labeled him as Leo, he spoke to each of the four quietly and then left. His sudden appearance and disappearance caused the tormentors to stop beating their victims and turn to face the four leaders.

"Who is 'Phantom'?" Cancer asked, "And what is target 'Delta – Mike'?"

Shade chuckled despite himself, for being this well versed in tactics, they were pretty stupid. Archer and Toad had purposely used the initials D.M. for 'desperate measures' so that everyone knew it wasn't a real call, it was a distraction.

"What's so funny?" Aries asked harshly, "Taurus," he ordered firmly.

Taurus snapped to attention, "Sir," his voice was gruff and gravelly.

Taurus approached Shade again but then a well placed bullet hit the large glass pane followed almost instantly by a second, neither bullet made it through. Taurus grabbed Shade and pulled him up from the chair.

The four leaders were staring at the window but looked back as Taurus brought Shade out of the view of the window, "Bring him with us," Aries ordered as they all walked out.

Shade was led harshly by Taurus, his bruised chest and face not helping in the matter.

Archer watched as five Zodiacs came out of the building, one of them had Shade in front of him, guiding him by the arm. Shade was pushed down to his knees and four of them brought out pistols and aimed them at his head, daring anyone or anything to take a shot at them. Taurus just stood back and watched with a sick smile on his face

Archer looked over at Toad, "One shot?"

"Two kills," Toad said with a smirk.

The sniper motto was One shot One kill, but this situation called for a few more desperate measures, usually, they wouldn't move around so much, but they had to get Shade and the others out of this. Archer carefully made his way across the field, Toad already had his sights on his two targets: Capricorn and Libra. Archer had to move to get his sights over Aries and Cancer and once he was in position, he flicked his comm back on.

"Phantom One in position," he responded to Toad's earlier bluff, "beginning bombing run now, danger close."

He and Toad adjusted their sights as the five Zodiacs looked to the skies in a panic. The panic, though, was short lived as Toad and Archer took one shot each to dispatch all four.

Shade got the clue and dropped, swinging his legs around to trip Taurus before the brute could react. Shade made quick work of the Zodiac and looked up as Archer and Toad came up to help him get the restraints off.

"Nice shots," Shade commented.

Toad chuckled, "What, did you think we'd miss?" he joked.

They chuckled lightly, "Alright, we gotta go get Rook and Roach out before those other guys catch on to what's going on out here," Shade commented, picking up one of the dropped pistols.

An hour later, Jayhawk was fussing over a cut Rook had on his forehead, and the fact that Roach had been torn up by the whip, and how Shade had gotten 'the shit beaten out of him'. Typical medics…

**_Well… I'm not sure what to say here but that was pretty awesome. Let me know what you think in the reviews yadda, yadda, yadda, you get the idea… So that was Desperate Measures. Thanks, TheShadeOps, for the prompts and for letting me use Shade, had a lot of fun with these._**

**_Thanks for Reading, Fly High Aim Higher_**

**_~Spitfire out_**


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